The OCPS Supply Center (formerly known as the OCPS Warehouse) also has a catalog of goods available for District employees to purchase. That catalog will be available electronically through SRM starting in early 2011.

The process for buying things from the OCPS Supply Center using SRM will be very similar to the current process except in how it is accessed. All users who currently submit a paper requisition or go through the online warehouse website will now shop for these goods through SRM. The best part: if the money is available in your account when you submit your shopping cart, your order will go straight through and be processed electronically once your bookkeeper approves it.

Watch for more information about how to buy things from the OCPS Supply Center using SRM in the upcoming online training courses.

Just as an iBuy user can puchase items from internal sources like the OCPS Supply Center, they can also use iBuy to purchase items from external suppliers. Office Depot is an example of a supplier who has a considerable online catalog of items for OCPS employees to purchase in this way.

Our new purchasing system will allow users to sign in and enter iBuy through the OCPS portal and then "punch out" through the internet and access an online catalog of items on a special website that is maintained for us by a supplier.

Note: Initially, not all suppliers will have the ability to integrate their catalogs and systems with our online shopping system. The catalog of items available to buy from a given supplier, (as well as prices), will be set up in accordance with our existing relationships with that supplier.

Sometimes a shopper will need an item, but only have limited information about the exact item. For example, they know the general name of the product and the manufacturer, but they do not know the exact model number or who sells it. Free Text Searching is a powerful technique that OCPS employees will be able to use in this case to initiate the purchasing process.

Free Text Searching will allow users to work with the Procurement Department to find the exact supplier for the item they need - even with partial information. Since it does involve more steps (such as research) and more interaction than catalog shopping, it may also take a bit longer to have items delivered. Watch for more information about Free Text Searching in the online training course that is coming out in January, 2011

As a buzzword, RFX refers to a series of "Requests For..." In general, the RFX process is used to help the District gather information or solicit specific bids from a wide group of potential suppliers. The RFX process is typically driven by a clearly defined list of requirements.

Examples of RFX's include:

RFI = Request for Information (a non-binding process used to gather information like a list of potential supplers)

RFQ = Request for Quote (a supplier's best and final offer to provide a given set of goods or services)

RFP - Request for Proposal (a non-binding process to solicit proposals to address a specific set of needs)

Note: Sometimes these processes are used together in a hybrid fashion as needed.

In addition to being the District's future purchasing system for an internal audience, iBuy will also provide a way for external suppliers to register with the District and maintain much of their own information so OCPS personnel don't have to. The registration process will allow suppliers to enter and verify data such as contact names, contact email addresses, physical addresses and so forth.

Supplier Self Service (SUS) is the name given to software that provides this capability for vendors to enter and maintain their own information on the system.